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Review: Aha Toro Tequila

October 14, 2010

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This Highlands tequila brand — a sister of the much-admired Amigo bf4e — is 100% agave, 80 proof, and comes in strikingly eye-catching bottles. We sampled all three expressions of this heftily agave-infused tequila. Opinions follow.

Aha Toro Blanco Tequila – Peppery and herbal, with huge agave notes and a finish that hints at petrol. A real tequila, with no punches pulled. Touches of fruit in the finish — bananas with cream — but not much can stand up to that agave enormity. Maybe too much of it here. B+ / $35

Aha Toro Reposado Tequila – Aged somewhere between two months and a year, this reposado cuts the bit of the blanco a bit, but not as much as you’d think. Top notes are more muted, with caramel and vanilla at play on this much more buttery-bodied tequila, and these sweet characteristics are heavy on the initial rush on the palate, as well. But you can’t suppress Aha Toro’s spicy agave notes, which come back in force for the finish. Better balance here. A- / $40

Aha Toro Anejo Tequila – Aged over a year. The anejo has a lot in common with the reposado, just with the caramel notes amped up. Less bite here, it’s a sweet and silky tequila sugar bomb with some hints of cocoa. Heat is there on the finish, a bit like a Mexican hot chocolate. Good, but a bit removed from the tequila world, it’s so overwhelmed with sweetness. B+ / $50